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“If” Particle in English – Arabic Translation
A Pragmatic Study Asst. Lect.Juman Adnan Al-Abbass
21/9/1122تأريخ التقديم: 9/5/1121 تأريخ القبول:
1. Introduction:
In conversation, people use different speech acts to
express their attitudes and reactions toward others in order to
achieve some effect on them. Conditional speech act is one of
these acts which will be the main goal in the current study. The
translation of conditional, however, is not without problems
due to the fact that different meanings of conditional can not be
easily understood by non-professional translators. So they can
not convey them into Arabic adequately. Context is supposed
to play an important role in determining the equivalent
translation of source text (ST).
This study aims at studying “if” particle pragmatically
(from speech act theory perspective) in English and Arabic as
well as the different meanings which can be achieved by this
particle in accordance with the situational contexts and
different possibilities of translating them into Arabic.
To achieve the above mentioned aims, the study
hypothesizes that there is no one to one correspondence
between “if” particle in English and Arabic since the system of
conditionals in both languages differs due to the fact that both
English and Arabic are of different origins. It is also
hypothesized that “if” particle can not be sometimes
understood as conditional since it involves different meanings:
condition and time. Finally, it is assumed that context might be
very helpful in the process of translating “if” particle since it
Dept. of Translation/ College of Arts/ University of Mosul.
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enables the translator to specify what meaning is intended and
what is not.
To test the validity of these hypotheses, conditional
sentences have been selected from Arther Miller’s A View
from the Bridge (1957). Two translations of Arther Miller’s by
Sabah (1999) and Abullail (2002) have been chosen, and then
TL renderings analyzed according to their pragmatic features to
show the similarities and differences between the specified
sentences and their renderings in Arabic. Some possible
renderings have been proposed in case of subjects’ renderings
are inappropriate.
2. If Particle in English:
If clauses in English are one of the highly controversial
subjects in current linguistic analysis. Haiman (1978: 564)
mentions that neither linguists nor philosophers have suggested
a coherent explication for ordinary language conditional. Most
of them have not even entertained the notion that such an
explication is possible. Eckersley & Eckersley (1960: 347-351)
say that conditional clauses are of two kinds, distinguished by
the form and meaning of the principal clauses: open conditions
and hypothetical conditions. Each kind uses different tenses that
can be used in open conditions. Consider the following
examples from Eckersley & Eckersley (1960: 347-349)
1. If you are right, I am wrong. (present) 2. If I made a mistake, I would try to remedy it. (past) whereas the future can not be used in the if-clause even when
the meaning is future, e.g.
3. I shall go for a walk if the rain stops. The form with (should + infinitive without to) in open
conditions is used when the main clause is a command or
question. e.g.
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4. If he should come, please give him this book. (command) 5. If the train should be late, what will you do? (question) whereas in hypothetical conditions the past subjunctive is
used in the “if” clause and would or should + the infinitive is
used in the main clause. Such sentences may refer to present
time, past time or future time. e.g.
6. If the grass needed cutting, I would cut it. It means “if the grass needed cutting now” (present)
7. If John had worked hard, he would have passed the examination.
If means “he did not work hard” (past – implied negative)
8. If Richard worked hard next term, he would pass the examination. (future)
(Eckersley & Eckersley, 1960: 350)
Quirk et al. (1985: 1089) distinguish three types of “if” clauses
depending on the tense they contain.
Type 1:
9. If he runs he’ll get there in time. Type 2:
10. If I had a map I would lend it to you. (but I have not a map. The meaning here is present).
11. If someone tried to blackmail me I would tell the police. (the meaning here is future).
They think that type 2, like type 1, refers to the present or
future and the past tense in the “if-clause” is not a true past but
a subjunctive, which indicate unreality as in (10) or
improbability as in (11).
Type 3:
12. If I had known that you were coming, I would have met you at the airport. (but I did not know, so I did not come).
They also think that these three types and their different
variations can express different meaning such as ability,
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permission, certain results, possibility, command, request or
advice. e.g.
13. If your documents are in order, you can/may leave at once. (permission)
14. If we had found him earlier we could have saved his life. (ability)
15. If you want to lose weight you had better eat less bread. (advice)
Summing up, the different tenses of the three types of “if”
clause can express different meanings.
3. The Speech Act of Conditionals:
The assumption that the meaning of conditional
sentences can be determined solely by surface structure
features such as tense and mood, severely restricts the
exegetional task. The meaning of any utterance can not be
understood apart from the speaker’s intent, situational and
linguistic context as well as the linguistic form (Young, 1989:
29).
Searl (1976: 1-24), Levinson (1983: 240) and Ferrari
(2002: 11) mention that speech act conditionals are mainly
directives, in the sense that their apodoses represent attempts
by the speaker to get the addressee to do something. These
directives can be requests, questions, orders, invitations,
suggestions or advices. For instance, the future of the
subjunctive occurs when the directive points to a future act of
the hearer that will occur in the speaker’s interest. Requests,
invitations, questions and orders can be included in this case.
On the other hand, the present of the indicative will be selected
when the directive points to a future act of the hearer that is
taken to occur in the hearer’s own interest as in suggestions
and advices. Consider the following example:
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16. If you hate hearing people horning, listen to JB FM. (present)
in the advertisement above, the main goal is to
persuade the audience to do something presented as an action
that will take place in the hearer’s interest. The suggestion is
based on a cultural fact which allows the choice of the present
tense in the protasis.
On the other hand, future tense conditionals can be
found in requests and invitations such as the one presented
below:
17. If you want, come to visit me. (future) (Ferrari, 2002: 11-12)
Wunderlich (1977: 30-32) mentions that
“conditional speech act” includes the following speech acts: to
warn, to threaten, to advise, to reproach, to negotiate, to extort,
to offer, to propose. Some of the listed speech acts can be
realized by assertions of a certain kind, others by a certain kind
of requests, some of them also by promises or even questions.
Consider the following examples:
18. a. With such a toothache, I’d go to the dentist. b. If you have such a toothache, go to the dentist.
c. Why don’t you try a dentist?
d. I promise to find you a nice dentist who can do a
painless extraction job.
He notices that the propositional content in (18.a.
– d.) which is a conditional, supplies the addressee with a
certain cognitive premise that he can use in his practical
inferences. But how he uses it depends on his intentions, that
is, in the end, on his needs, interests and preferences. For
instance, an advice differs from a warning in that an advice
relates to a positively evaluated consequential event, whereas a
warning relates to a negatively evaluated one.
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Wunderlich (1977: 36) also believes that
conditional “if” can realize a strong advice, a weak advice and
an assurance. Consider the following examples:
19. a. If you don’t cover the ace, then you won’t win. b. Only if you cover the ace, you will win.
Both of these examples represent a strong advice
since both deal with positive incidents, hence, there are no
alternatives, while in dealing with indifferent incidents several
alternatives are possible.
20. a. If you cover the ace, you will win. b. Only if you don’t cover the ace, you won’t win.
The reason behind the fact that weak advice (20. a.) is better
than (20. b.) is that the former is related to a practical
inference, whereas the latter only states how to prevent
something positive – which is not what the speaker had in
mind.
21. If you don’t tease the dog, you won’t get bitten.(Wunderlich, 1977: 36).
The above sentence (21) represents an assurance
because it only states what one can avoid. Consequently, one
cannot find decisions on assurance. However, assurance can be
used as restrictive terms in all kinds of decision-making.
Haigh, Stewart, Wood and Connell (2011:1)
mention that failure to make an inference and accurately
discriminate between speech acts can have serious
consequences. For example, a patient reading the conditional
advice “if you choose treatment X, then your quality of life will
improve” could misinterpret this statement as a promise. So,
they emphasize that “if” is important to understand exactly
how everyday conditional speech acts are represented during
comprehension.
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The advice can be realized, too, by using first an
imperative sentence and then a sentence in which one states the
reason for the use of the imperative. For instance:
22. a. Cover the ace, otherwise you won’t win. b. Cover the ace, and you will win.
(Wunderlich, 1977: 35).
In (22. a. and b.) no difference is found between the strong
advice and the warning. However, Wunderlich (1977: 35)
thinks that warning is sometimes more effective if one starts
with an imperative sentence and then continues with an
explanation of what will happen if one does this or that.
Consider the following examples:
23. Don’t tease the dog, otherwise you will get bitten. 24. Watch out, or the ladder will fall down. The request contained in the imperative sentence
(23) renders the practical inference superfluous; the addressee
only has to comply with the requests, then he will be out of
danger. The second clause (24) states the reason for the request
and makes the whole utterance a warning. “otherwise” and “or”
can be understood as a fusion of the conjunction “because”
with the antecedent of the standard form (warning):
25. Don’t tease the dog, because if you do that, then you’ll get bitten.
So, the characteristic conditional of the warning
implies that performing a certain action is sufficient to create a
negatively evaluated incident. The threat is of the same
structure as the warning in the sense that the negative incident
is one that can be cause by the speaker himself.
26. a. If you are late again, I’ll fire you. b. Don’t tease the dog, or you will get thrashed.
(Haigh & others, 2011: 35).
Wunderlich (1977: 35) believes that the threat can
also be expressed by using the speech act form of a promise.
(See: Mey, 1993: 99)
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27. Go to bed, or I promise you that I’ll be angry with you.
He emphasizes that the literal meaning of
performative verb doesn’t always determine the kind of speech
act that can be realized by its use. So, if the context shows that
the negative consequence for the addressee only can be caused
by the speaker, then, a literal warning, too is really a threat
such as:
28. I warn you, don’t touch me. Wunderlich (1977: 43) also discusses two other
conditional speech acts: the offer and the proposal. For
instance:
29. Would you like a coffee? The above example expresses a question that can
in specific contexts realize an offer as follows:
30. If you like a coffee, I’ll give you one. Evidently, the offer is a kind of conditional
promises. The condition is that the addressee really does want
the action to take place. The proposal can be realized by a
conditional request or a cohortative. The condition is that the
addressee does not want other or better actions to take place; an
action is suggested to be performed either individually or
collectively. Often the person making the proposed also
expects an answer, hence the proposal, too, may be realized by
a question as in the following example:
31. What about going to the movie? In addition, Oliveira (2000: 98) mentions two
conditional speech acts: invitation and suggestion as in the
following examples:
32. If you are hungry, then there are cookies on the table. (invitation)
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33. If you are in a hurry, then there is a taxi on the corner. (suggestion)
She believes that in the case of the following
example: “If you are sleepy, the bed in the next room is made
up”, the hearer may wonder whether the speaker’s principal
intention is to invite the hearer to use the bed or to suggest that
a nap is needed. However, even if the hearer believes the latter
is the case, there still exists an implied invitation to use the bed
for that purpose, so the degree of ambiguity is slight. Finally, it
can be said that determining the meaning of conditional speech
acts depends upon our pragmatic competence.
4. Kinds of Conditionals:
With respect to both meaning and use,
conditionals are actually a heterogeneous class in which we
may want to distinguish different kinds of them. So, Martin
(2000, 232-234) makes a distinction between four types of
conditionals as follows:
1. Epistemic Conditionals:
Epistemic conditionals are those like in (34a-b) in
which, roughly speaking, the speaker reports on his/her
conditional beliefs concerning propositions that could in
principle be known but whose truth the speaker is subjectively
uncertain of.
34. a- If Oswald did not shoot Kennedy, someone else did.
b- If the butler has not killed her, the gardener must have.
The antecedent of epistemic conditionals could be
analyzed as modifying, possibly implicitly; the epistemic
modals: must and might.
2. Counterfactual Conditionals:
Counterfactual conditionals or counterfactual for short,
are conditional as in (35 a-b) in which the antecedent has a
backward – shifted tense and the consequent is in the
subjunctive, usually so as to express counterfactuality in the
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sense that the action is not assumed to be true by the speaker
(or only very unlikely, or not endorsed as possible or
sufficiently likely at the present stage of the conversation
etc…).
35. a- If Kangaroos had no tails, they would topple over.
b- If I were a carpenter and you were a Lady, would you marry me
anyway?
3. Predictive Conditionals:
Predictive conditionals are conditionals like in
(36) in which a prediction is expressed about the occurrence of
future courses of events whose occurrence is objectively
uncertain and therefore cannot in principle be known.
36. If Andrea arrives late, Clara will be upset.
The antecedents of predictive conditionals could be
analyzed as modifying, possibly implicitly, the future modals
will and might.
4. Commissive Conditionals:
Commissive conditionals are conditional promises
as in (37) and conditional threats as in (38) with which the
speaker tries to exert influence on the hearer’s decision
making.
37. I’ll lend you the book, if you lend me your bicycle
tomorrow.
38. If Marth finds out about this, our friendship is over.
Finally, Martin (2000, 233) mentions that
commissive conditionals have consequents that are desirable or
undesirable to the addressee. Still more importantly, what sets
commissive conditionals off from predictive conditionals is
that in the former the consequents refer to actions or events that
are under speaker control while their antecedents are usually
events under hearer control.
5. Conditional Sentences and Particles in Arabic:
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Condition in Arabic includes a linguistic structure
consisting of two parts. The first part is called the condition
and the second part is called the consequence. The second part
will be realized only if the first part is realized previously (Al-
Makhzumiy, 1964: 284).
. إن جاء خالٌد جئُت.11 a. (Lit) if Khalid came, I came.
'in dƷaa'a Khalidun dƷi'tu.
b. If Khalid came, I should come.
The above sentence has two circumstances: “ Khalid’s
coming” and the “speaker’s coming”. The speaker’s coming
depends on Khalid’s coming. So, the fulfillment of the
condition will lead to the fulfillment of the consequence and
the opposite is also true.
Some grammarians such as (Al-Zajjaj, Al-Nahhas and
Ibn Aqeel) cited in Al-Shamsan (1981: 70) define a conditional
sentence as a complex sentence that consists of two inseparable
clauses preceded by a conditional particle. The first clause is
the conditional which can not be understood unless related to
the main clause. Similarly, Tahhan (cited in al-Massaddiy &
Al-Tarabulsiy, 1985: 21) defines the conditional sentence as a
linguistic structure which consists of أداة الشرر (conditional particle) فعرررل الشرر (conditional clause) جررر ال الشررر (consequent clause). These two clauses are related by the
conditional particle in a way that makes no one clause
imagined to be independent of the other one just like cause and
effect.
Al-Makhzumiy (1964: 290-291) states that there are two
types of Arabic conditional particles: the first is originally
conditional such as ( إن) and (إذمرا) whereas the second type is mixed with other meanings to refer to persons, things, places,
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circumstances but they are used as conditionals such as ( من ، ما .(.etc… ، أين
Aziz (1989: 224) mentions four particles ( ، لر ، لر ، إذا & are used to express open condition (Factual (إذا) and (إن ) .(إن Predictive), ( لر) and ( لر) are used to express rejected condition (imaginative), while ( إن) is used with doubted events and ( لر) with hypothetical or impossible events.
. إن يساف أساف معه.10 a. Lit. If he travels, I travel with him.
'in jusaafir usaafir ma
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(ibid.)
In the above examples, it can be noticed that both these
particles are rendered into English by the conditional particle
“if”. In what follows, some of the conditional particles which
are closely related to the subject under investigation will be
tackled in some detail.
:/in/ إن .1 is the most important Arabic conditional particle (إن )
which originally refers to condition. Semanticists (Al-Aswad,
2005: 66) note that ( إن) is used with non-assertive things; those about their happening we are quite sure:
44 أز ك.. إن يز ك خالٌد 'in jazurka Khalidun 'azurka.
If Khalid visits you, I’ll visit you too.
(Al-Makhzumiy, 1964: 290)
Its time is contextual as it may refer to past, present or future.
The main function of ( إن) is to convert the past tense into the future. The reason behind that is that only the future may be
fulfilled or not fulfilled and this is applied to the definition of
which implies uncertainty about the actions referred to ”إن “(Al-Aswad, 2005: 67).
إن فعلت هذا ع قبت. -. أ 11 a. 'in fa
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:/itha/ إذا .2The problem related to this particle is that it occupies a
place between condition and time and may be rendered into
English by “if” or “when” (Al-Masaddiy & Al-Tarabulsiy,
1985: 9; Aziz, 1989: 294-295).
. إذا احت مت صديقك إحت مك.11 'itha 'ihtaramta sadiiqaka 'ihtramaka.
If you respect your friend, he will also respect you.
. إذا جاء ال بيع اعتدل المناخ.11 'itha dƷaa'a-rrabii
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It is a conditional particle that refers to something
supposed not to take place; that is not likely to happen or
involves a condition contrary to fact or impossible. It means
“the non-fulfillment of the condition and necessarily means
that the consequence will not be fulfilled as in:
ل جئتني أك متك. .10 Law dƷi'tani akramtuka.
If you came to me, I would be generous with you.
(Al-Makhzumiy, 1964: 290)
The first important function of ( لر) is wish and second it is used as a conditional particle. There may be a relation
between wish and condition which is impossible. This means
that ( لرر) has different contextual meanings (Al-Muttalibiy, 1986: 95) as in:
. ل تأتني فتحدثني.19 Law ta'tini fatuHaddiThuni.
I wish you came to me so that you would talk to me.
(Al-Masddiy & Al-Tarabulsiy, 1985: 56)
Its time reference is variable since it may refer to past and
here it is called (impossible لر) and the second, which is less used, refers to future and it is called (conditional particle
referring to future equivalent to إن) (Al-Muttalibiy, 1986: 99). . ل تصفحته ل أيت حسابي غي المدف ع.11
Law taSafaHtahu lar'aita Hisabii ghairiL madfuu
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Perhaps, if he knew (that), his heart would soften a little. ( لر is equivalent to نإ ). (Cantarino, 1975: 321).
Summing up, ( لرر) can express different contextual meanings such as hypothetical condition, wish, impossibility
and uncertainty.
ماإذ .4 /ithma/: The particle (إذ) is not used to refer to condition unless
combined with (مرا). Sebawayhi defines (إذمرا) as a conditional particle and it is just like (إن) because it is followed by two verbs in the jussive mood (Al-Muradiy, 1974: 472).
تد س تنجح. . إذما11 'ithma tadrus tandƷaH.
If you study , you will pass.
(Nasr, 1967: 161)
in addition, Al-Ghalajiiniy (1971: 191-192) states that (إذما) is a compound particle; it functions just like ( إن) since it has no meaning such as other particles but to relate the conditional
clause with the consequent clause.
Al-Muttalibiy (1986: 105), on the other hand, mentions
that this particle can be used without (ما) such as: . أنت تأكل إذ تج ع.11
Wa 'anta t'akul 'ith tadƷuu
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:/lawla / ل .5The meaning of this complex particle is “but, except for”
or “had it not been for” (Kharma & Hajjaj, 1989: 141). It is the
negative form of ( لر). So, ( لر) is ( لر) plus ( ) (if … not). However, it signifies the non-fulfillment of the consequent
because of the truth of antecedent as in:
. ل علٌي لهلك عم .11 Lawla Alijjun lahalaka Omar.
Where it not for Ali, Omar would die. (Matar, 1985: 21)
The reference of the sentence introduced by ( لرر) is necessarily a past time. Thus, it is used with a hypothetical
condition (Al-Muttalibiy, 1986: 126). Cantarino (1975: 326-
327), on the other hand, adds that ( لرر) “if not”, always introduces a single member and hypothetically negates its
existence: “if it were not for”. It may be followed by a single
noun in the nominative case. In this construction, the main
clause is usually subsequent to the subordinate clause and is
frequently but not necessarily introduced by the emphatic
particle “لر” as in the example above. (Al-Aswad, 2005: 74).
6. Translation of Literary Texts:
Catford (1965: 65) states that literary translation is rank-
free, i.e. not restricted to a certain grammatical rank. According
to this type of translation, the translator aims at reproducing a
similar effect on the TL receiver as that of the SL one. The
translator is not interested in the SL text as a form, but in the
message and how to express it in the TL. The translator should
take the norms of the TL into consideration so that he would be
able to translate literature into literature (See: Pound, 1995: 96;
Shen, 1995: 219).
In literary translation, language has more than a
communicative or social and connective purpose. The word
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functions as the “primary elements” of literature, that is, it has an
aesthetic function. Between the inception and the completion of a
creative work of translation, a complex process takes place in the
fabric of imagery of the work being translated. Therefore, the
problems of literary translation are within the sphere of art and are
subject to its specific laws.
Literary translation differs from literary creativity in that its
existence depends on the existence of an object of translation, a work
to be translated. However, in the actual literary process, it is not always
possible to draw a distinction between translation and all creative
literature. In quite a few instances, a work may not be a translation in
the usual sense, but it may not be possible to describe it unreservedly
as a work of literary creativity. Other labels are used to designate these
works: “free translation” and “imitation”. The specific meanings of
these resignations differ depending on the language and the period
(The Great Encyclopedia: 2010).
7. Data Analysis:
The data which will be analyzed have been selected from
Arther Miller's A View from The Bridge (1957). Two
translations of Arther Miller's by Sabah (1999) and Abullail
(2002) have been chosen and TL renderings will be analyzed
from speech act theory perspective.
SL Text (1):
Eddie: Beautiful. Turn around, lemme see in the back.
[She turns for him.] Oh, if your mother was alive to see you
now! She wouldn’t believe it.
Context:
Catherine changes her hair’s style and Eddie asks her to
turn around to see her, so he wished her mother to be alive to
see her.
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TL Texts:
إدي: جميل. د د ي دعيني أ اه من الخلف ]تستدي له[. أ ه، ل كانت أمك حية لت اك اآلن! .1 فلن تصدق عينيها.
إدي: جميررل. اسررتدي ي دعينرري أ اه مررن الخلررف ]تسررتدي لرره[. ه لرر كانررت .2.أمك على قيد الحياة لت اك اآلن! ما كانت لتصدق ذلك
3. TL Text Analysis: In this utterance, we find the second type of “if” clause in which
the verb in the “if” clause is in past and the conditional sentence refers to
the present. The past tense in the “if” clause is not a true past but a
subjunctive, which indicates unreality. This means that the above
utterance expresses a counterfactual condition in the sense that the action
is not assumed to be true by the speaker. The two translators have
succeeded in conveying this into Arabic by using ( لرر) which is a conditional particle that refers to something supposed not to take place;
that is not likely to happen or involves a condition contrary to fact or
impossible. A better choice for translating the above example will be as
follows:
سررتدي ي دعينرري أ اه مررن الخلرف ]تسررتدي لرره[. ه، أتمنررى لرر إدي: جميرل. إ كانت أمك على قيد الحياة لت اك اآلن! ما كانت لتصدق ذلك.
SL Text (2):
Cahterine: Eddie, it’s the style now. [she walks to show him.] I
mean, if you see me walkin’ down the street.
Context:
Catherine wears a very short skirt, she aspires Eddie to
see her when she walks down the street.
TL Texts:
كاث ين: إدي، إنها الم ضة اآلن. ]تمشي لت يه[ أعني، إذا ما أيتني أمشي .1 في الشا ع.
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كاث ين: إدي، إنها الم ضة اآلن. ]تسي لت يه[ أعني، إذا أيتني أسي فري .2 الشا ع.
TL Text Analysis:
The two translators translated “if” into “إذا” which does not convey the exact meaning which is “wish”. By “wish”, the
speaker wants something to happen or to be true even though it
is unlikely or impossible. So, the conditional of this sentence is
counterfactual in which the action is not assumed to be true by
the speaker. Rendering the particle “if” into “إذا” distorts the meaning intended by the speaker; thus, it is more reliable to use
the particle “ ل” that refers to hypothetical events, as in: أتمنررى لرر ت انرري كرراث ين: إدي، إنهررا الم ضررة اآلن. ]تسررتدي لت يرره[ أعنرري،
.أسي في الشا ع
SL Text (3):
Eddie: listen; if everybody keeps his mouth shut, nothin’ can
happen. They’ll pay for their board.
Context:
Eddie tells Beatrice that her two cousins will arrive after
two hours but she becomes nervous because she has not
expected their arrival at that time and her kitchen is not well-
prepared to receive her cousins. So, Eddie advises her to be
quiet and not to be rush.
TL Texts:
حررردم فمررره، لرررن يحصرررل شررريء سيسررردان إدي: إسرررمعي، إذا مرررا أغلرررق كرررل ا .1 نفقات سف هما.
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، فلررن يحرردء شرريء. سرريدفعان لقرراء مررهإدي: إسررمعي، إذا أغلررق كررل احرردم ف .2 إقامتهما معنا.
TL Text Analysis:
In the above example, the speaker expresses his “advice”
to the hearer by using “if”. An advice relates to a positively
evaluated consequential event. This speech act is considered
directive which points to a future act of the hearer that is taken
to occur in the hearer’s own interest. Thus, it can be said that
this sentence represents a predictive conditional in which a
prediction the occurrence of future course of events is
objectively uncertain and therefore cannot in principle be
known. In Arabic also, both translators used the same strategy
especially the particle “إذا” which is used to express a predictive condition but the first one has failed in conveying
the second part when he translated (they’ll pay for their board)
into (سيسدان نفقات سرف هما) (sajasuddaan nafaqaati safarihima. Lit.: they will pay for their travel) since it is not the intended
meaning of the speaker. Therefore, it is believed that the
second translation will be the more appropriate one.
SL Text (4):
Catherine: I’m the best student, he says, and if I want, I should
take the job and the end of the year he’ll let me take the
examination and he’ll give me the certificate. So I’ll save
practically a year!
Context:
Catherine tells Eddie that her headmaster offers her a job in a
company as a clerk because she is the best student in her class and if
she likes to do that he’ll let her take her exam and he’ll give her the
certificate at the end of the year.
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TL Texts:
ذا ما أ دت أن أعمل سأباش في .1 كاث ين: أنا أفضل البة، ه قال لي، ا الشررر كة فررري نهايرررة السرررنة سررريجعلني أقررر ي با ختبرررا سررريع يني الشرررهادة.
مليًا سنة! هكذا سأ ف ع كراث ين: قررال لري إننرري أفضرل البررة، يمكننري إذا أ دت أن التحررق بالعمررل .2
سيسمح لري فري نهايرة العراي أن أتقردي لالمتحران سريع يني الشرهادة هكرذا س ف أ ف تق يبًا سنة كاملة!
TL Text Analysis:
In this utterance, the speaker uses “if” to express the offer.
Since “offering” is considered a kind of conditional promise, the
condition is that the addressee really does want the action to take
place. Hence, this is an epistemic conditional in which the speaker
reports on the conditional beliefs concerning propositions that could
in principle be known but the speaker is subjectively uncertain of its
truth. Both translators have used “إذا” and the first one adds the particle “ما”. So, it is better to use “إذما” which is a compound particle; it has no meaning but to relate the conditional clause with the
consequent clause. Also, he translated “let me take the examination”
into “ قر ي با ختبرا سريجعلني أ ” (sayadƷ
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ذمررا أ دت فب مكرراني العمررل فرري الشرر كة فرري نهايررة السررنة كرراث ين: يقرر ل إنرري أفضررل البررة ا سيسمح لي بأداء ا متحان سيمنحني الشهادة. هكذا سأ ف عمليًا سنة!SL Text (5):
Eddie: Because most people ain’t people. She’s goin’ to work;
plumbers, they’ll chew her to pieces if she don’t watch out.
Context:
Catherine is going to work and she tells Eddie that she’ll
fix up the whole house with her first pay. Eddie said that she
did not know anything because she has been a housewife and
asked her not to trust anybody because she never worked all
her life.
TL Texts:
إدي: ألن أغلررل النرراس ليسرر ا ناسررًا. إنهررا سررتذهل للعمررل، للسررب اكين الررذين .1 ستل كها ألسنتهي ق عة ق عة إن لي ت ل عليهي.
إدي: ألن معظي الناس ليس ا أناسًا. إنها ستعمل مع سباكين، سيمضغ نها ق عاً إذا .2 لي تكن على حذ .
TL Text Analysis:
In English, the speaker expresses his warning by using
conditional sentence. The characteristic conditional of the
warning implies that performing a certain action is sufficient to
create a negatively evaluated incident. In this case, we find a
commissive conditional in which the speaker tires to exert
influence on the hearer’s decision making. i.e. commissive
conditionals have consequences that are desirable or undesirable
to the hearer. As for translation, the two translators have
translated the conditional clause differently since the first one has
translated it into “إن لري ت رل علريهي” ('in lam tuTil
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one has translated it into “ إذا لري تكرن علرى حرذ” ('itha lam takun
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has been said, the conditional of this sentence is predictive
since the occurrence of the prediction about future course of
event is objectively uncertain. Therefore, it cannot in principle
be known. Both translators have translated “if” into “إذا” which can be used in this context to express an open condition
(predictive condition). Consequently, they should have used
the verb “ اقتر” instead of “تسرت يعين” and “ب مكانرك” to convey the intended meaning correctly. So, the proposed rendering will be: د لفرر : شرريء، لكررن إذا كرران هنرراك الكثيرر مررن المسرراف ين حالفررك الحررظ فرراقت
سيا ة األج ة أعلى التله للحص ل على بضعة لي ات. قيادة The above rendering will be a better alternative since using the
verb “ أقتر ح” “aqtariH” which expresses the intended speech act obviously will remove the misinterpretation caused by the two
translators.
SL Text (7):
Marco: if we can stay here a few months, Beatrice.
Context:
Marco and Rodolpho want to stay in Beatrice’s house in
order to work to get more money.
TL Texts:
: إذا كان ب مكاننا البقاء هنا بضعة شه ، بيات يس.ما ك .1 ما ك : ل نست يع أن نبقى هنا لبضعة أشه ، بيات يس. .2
TL Text Analysis:
In this utterance, the speaker chooses to express his
“request” by using “if”. By request, the speaker attempts to get
the addressee to do something in the speaker's interest. This
means that the utterance expresses a predictive conditional
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since the occurrence of the future event which is “staying in
Beatrice’s house” in this context is objectively uncertain. In
Arabic, both translators conveyed this differently by different
particles “إذا” and “ لر”. The first translator has failed to convey the intended meaning by using “إذا” since this particle is used to give a great degree of certainty, whereas the main function of
is wish. So, we can say that the second translator has ”لر “conveyed the intended meaning of the speaker successfully.
SL Text (8):
Rodolpho: Oh, sure! It’s a feature in our town. The
horses in our town are skinnier that goats. So if there are too
many passengers we help to push the carriages up to the hotel.
Context:
Rodolpho says that he and Marco work anything,
sometimes they stand around all day in the Piazza waiting only
for the train. If there are many passengers, they help to push the
carriages up to the hotel saying that in their town the horses are
only for show. TL Texts:
د لف : أ ه، بعًا، إنهرا ميرزة فري مردينتنا. فالجيراد فري مردينتنا أنحرف مرن .1المعررز لررذلك إذا كرران هنرراك الكثيرر مررن المسرراف ين نسرراعد فرري دفررع الع بررات حتى الفندق.
حصرنة فري بلردتنا أهرزل د لف : بكل تأكيد! إنها ظاه ة مأل فة فري بلردتنا. فاأل .2مرررن المررراعز لرررذا إذا كررران هنررراك الكثيررر مرررن المسررراف ين ف ننرررا نسررراعد علرررى دفرررع الع بات أعلى التلة إلى الفندق.
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TL Text Analysis:
In the ST, the speaker chooses to express his dissatisfaction of
his town indirectly by using “if clauses”. In this sentence, we find an
Epistemic conditional since the speaker reports on the conditional
beliefs concerning propositions that could be known but whose truth
he is subjectively uncertain of. When the text is rendered into Arabic,
we find that both translators have used “إذا” which is a suitable particle in this case since it is used to show a great degree of certainty
but it is better to put consequent in future by using “سررر” “siin” to be د“ sanusaa
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In performing this conditional clause, the speaker expresses
his ability to do the action by using the modal auxiliary “could” in
the past instead of “can” to be more polite. Hence, this conditional
is considered predictive because the happening of the future event
which is “sending the money” in this sentence is uncertain since it
depends on “staying in Beatrice’s house.” In Arabic, this strategy is
realized by the use of certain verbs such as “يسرت يع” “jastaTii
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قه؟إدي: نعي، لكن ماذا ل كان هدفه ال حيد ه الحص ل على أ ا .2
TL Text Analysis:
The speaker chooses to express his question by using the
“if” particle. The reference to the question is also done directly by
using an interrogative particle “what”. In a question, the speaker
attempts to get the addressee to do something. Since the
occurrence of the future event is uncertain, it can be said that this
sentence has a predictive conditional. In Arabic, both translators
have used the interrogative particle “مرراذا” as an equivalent to “what” as well as “ لرر” which is used to refer to something supposed not to take place to be a suitable equivalent to “if” and
convey the meaning of the utterance under investigation. Thus,
we can say that both translations are appropriate. However, a
more appropriate rendering could be the following: نعي، لكن ماذا ل ”هردف“ since the translator used ,كران هدفره ال حيرد هر الحصر ل علرى أ اقره؟“hadaf” which conveys the force of the message as a better
equivalent for “reason” than “سرربل” “sabab” which can be considered as a literal translation.
8. Findings and Conclusions:
From the analysis of the extracts derived from “A View
from the Bridge” and their renderings into Arabic, we conclude
the following:
English uses “if” particle to express conditional speech acts more than Arabic since Arabic uses many particles as
equivalent to “if”. This means that there is no one to one
correspondent between English and Arabic.
Both English and Arabic realize real and unreal conditions differently since English depends on the verbal elements of
both conditional and consequent clauses whereas Arabic
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depends on the conditional particle (لر ) & (إن) because (إن) is used to refer to real and ( ل) to refer to unreal condition. Translators sometimes failed in giving the suitable equivalent of English conditional particle since they did not know its
meaning.
Since the current study is a pragmatic one, the determination of the meaning of “if” will depend on the context of situation.
So, we find that “if” can express different meanings apart from
conditional such as: command, warning, threatening, promising
… etc.
With reference to translation, this study provides some insights into how to be aware of the misunderstanding that may
occur in the process of translation. Thus, a translator has to
take context into consideration in addition to the sentential
level in decoding the message.
A Key to Transliteration Symbols
Consonants: Short Vowels:
n ن Z ظ th ذ (aglottal stop)
ء
h ع > هـ r ر b ب w و gh غ z ز t ت j ي f ف s س Th ث q ق sh ش dƷ ج k ك S ص H ح l ل dh ض kh خ m م T ط d د
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Long Vowels:
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دراسة براغماطيقية م.م. جمان عدنان حسن العباس
المستخلص
الشررر ية ت جمتهرررا إلرررى الع بيرررة فررري ضررر ء “ ذاإح ”يتنرررا ل هرررذا البحرررء د اسرررة لمعنرى لة مفيردة لجعرل التفكير أقر ل إلرى انظ ية فعل الق ل التي يمكن أن تعرد سري
عرررل عرررد تحليرررل جمرررل الشررر فررري ضررر ء صررريغة الف ب، الرررذي يقصرررده المتكلي/الكاترررلن د اسررررة مشرررركلة ، زمانرررره تحلررررياًل افيررررًا ي ضررررح سرررر ى جررررزء مررررن المعنررررى “ إذا” ا
نقل أفضل للمعنى الش ية من عدة ج انل عادة ما ينتج عنها فهي للفك ة، بالتالي نرررا ل المتررر جي الشررر ت فررري حرررال عررردييفتررر ت هرررذا البحرررء ، ة إلرررى أخررر ىمرررن لغررر
ن فعله لن يكب اغما يقيًا حسل نظ ية فعل الق ل ف ن فهمه ف ن قاد ًا على فهمه، ا تفكيرر ه للشرر لررن يكرر ن دقيقررًا بمررا فيرره الكفايررة لررن يمكنرره مررن ال صرر ل إلررى ت جمررة
مناسبة.ظرر هررذه بشرركل إيجررابي علررى نظ يررة مررن المؤمررل أن يسرراهي ت بيررق جهررة الن
. الت جمة ت بيقاتها